What Do You Want vs. What Do You Need?

It’s the first blog post of 2016! Hope the new year is off to a wonderful start for all you creativepreneurs out there.

My favorite part about a new year is that it offers a fresh start, a clean slate, a renewed perspective. A big part of the last several months have been spent traveling and seeing family. It has been a huge blessing to be able to do that, but now it's time to shift my focus back to my business. The start of the new year for me is a time where I can really hone in growth and getting a solid routine. I’ve got my resolutions and goals all ready to go, and a determination to make them happen. How about you?

I’m sure I can speak for just about everyone when I say I want big things to happen this year. I want to put some major elbow grease into my business and see results. I want to do work that is fulfilling, and partner with people who are excited about their businesses and great design. I want the big, beautiful picture to come into focus, and sooner rather than later. Please and thank you.

As you can see, there are a lot of ‘wants’ on that list. But what is it that we truly need as business owners?

We need to be able to take care of ourselves financially, emotionally, and physically. We need to be practical. We need to work hard. We need to realize that all things take time to come to fruition, and all those timelines are different for each project and for each business owner.

In the pursuit of big things we want, we also need to remember our fundamental needs.

You can’t work 12 hour days for long before you begin to burn out. You need rest.

You can’t undersell your skills and services to people who don’t understand the value of your work. You need to pay the bills.

You can’t compare yourself and your success to another’s. You need to stay confident and do what’s best for yourself and your business.

I know it’s easy to get distracted by the things we want, especially when there are so many things we feel like we should be doing. Just because someone else in your niche is doing something doesn't mean it's a good fit for you. We all want our businesses to thrive and be successful, but the ways we each reach that is going to look different. Before you make any decisions to begin working on your 'want' list, take a moment to think about whether or not you really need it. Three questions to ask yourself:

Is this something I really want? Or is it something I think I want because everyone else is doing it?

Is this a productive use of my time, energy, resources?

Will this benefit me and my business in the long run? Does it line up with my business’s vision and purpose?

With a new year comes a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of purpose. Sending lots of positivity and encouragement your way as you work to make big things happen this year! What are some things you’re working on? I’d love to hear about it, so go ahead and comment in the section below!

If you still need to set goals for your business, here’s a blog post to help you with that. You can also get this free workbook that will help you fine-tune thoughtful and thorough goals for your most intentional year yet.

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Thank you for signing up to receive the Set Goals Like a Boss workbook! I hope it will help you plan thoughtful and intentional goals to make 2016 the best year yet for your business!